The text you read is a translation of a story by a well-known Malayalam writer, Vaikom Muhammad Basheer.
In translating a story from one language to another, a translator must keep the content intact. However, the language and the style differ in different translations of the same text.
Here are two translations of the opening paragraphs of a novel by the Japanese writer, Haruki Murakami. Read them and answer the questions given below.
| A | B |
| When the phone rang I was in the kitchen, boiling a potful of spaghetti and whistling along with an FM broadcast of the overture to Rossini’s The Thieving Magpie, which has to be the perfect music for cooking pasta.
I wanted to ignore the phone, not only because the spaghetti was nearly done, but because Claudio Abbado was bringing the London Symphony to its musical climax. |
I’m in the kitchen cooking spaghetti when the woman calls. Another moment until the spaghetti is done; there I am, whistling the prelude to Rossini’s La Gazza Ladra along with the FM radio. Perfect spaghetti-cooking music!
I hear the telephone ring but tell myself, Ignore it. Let the spaghetti finish cooking. It’s almost done, and besides, Claudio Abbado and the London Symphony Orchestra are coming to a crescendo. |
Compare the two translations on the basis of the following points.
• the tense of narration (past and present tense)
• short, incomplete sentences
• sentence length
Which of these translations do you like? Give reasons for your choice.
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Tense of narration:
In translation A, the narration is in past tense.
In translation B, the narration is in simple present tense.
Short, incomplete sentences:
Sentences in translation A are long and there are no incomplete sentences.
Sentences in translation B are short and we find some incomplete sentences too.
Sentence Length:
Sentence length is more in translation A as compared to the translation B.
I like translation B more in comparison to translation A. This is because translation B is in the present tense and thus gives a sense of immediacy. It also gives a clearer understanding to the reader. Sentences are crisp and short.